


Friends, Romans, but no countrymen

by MsJackofAllFandoms



Series: 30 Day Writing Challenge 2011 [24]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Celebrating halloween the muggle way, M/M, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-17
Updated: 2011-09-17
Packaged: 2018-09-24 00:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9692462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsJackofAllFandoms/pseuds/MsJackofAllFandoms
Summary: Percy and Oliver are due to go to a muggle fancy dress party when Percy has second thoughts over the costume Oliver chose for him: A Toga.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written in 2011 for my 30 day writing challenge. The prompt was "sheet".

_Sheet: Sheet_  
/ʃit/  
–noun  
1) a large rectangular piece of cotton, linen, or other material used as an article of bedding, commonly spread in pairs so that one is immediately above and the other immediately below the sleeper.  
  
2) a broad, relatively thin, surface, layer, or covering.  
  
Oliver grinned as Percy came out of their bedroom and stood in the doorway, glaring at him.  
  
“I feel absolutely ridiculous.”  
  
Oliver nodded. There was no point in lying, after all. “You look absolutely ridiculous, but it's good. You'll fit in.”  
  
“How? Do many of your muggle friends wear sheets at their parties?”  
  
“You'd be surprised, Perce.” Oliver stood up and gathered his accessories, “Come on, we'll be late.”  
  
Percy hesitated and Oliver knew what was coming. “I don't think I can go. I think i'd rather stay home and-”  
  
“If you finish that sentence with 'Finish the Bogart report', you'll be sleeping on the couch for a week and i'll leave my dirty quidditch uniform everywhere.”  
  
He walked over to Percy. His mind waved an imaginary flag when he noticed, happily, that this time at least Percy wasn't gripping any door handles and trying to back away. That night had not been one of their best nights out together  
  
“Oliver, i'm wearing a sheet. I can't possibly leave the house looking like this.” Percy gripped a bunched up part of his costume and tugged at it meaningfully.  
  
Taking the bunched up fabric from Percy's hand, he smoothed down the fabric and tried a winning smile. “It's a Toga. You took Muggle Studies with me, remember? Remember the Romans? You're a Roman, i'm a Gladiator. Come on, it'll be fun!” He hoped nodding at the fire place would emphasise his point.  
  
Percy wasn't having it. “You have a fake sword and a shield. I have a bloody sheet wrapped around me and not much else. I can't imagine this being fun at all.”  
  
“It's a fancy dress party, of course it's going to be fun! Come on, Perce.” Another nod at the fireplace didn't hurt, but it didn't help either.  
  
Percy remained stone faced and unmoving. “I would much rather stay home.”  
  
Oliver sighed. Things had been going so well that morning. Percy hadn't written the fancy dress party plan completely off and Oliver thought he'd be in with a chance of showing him that going would be a good, fun experience.  
  
It wasn't that Oliver was trying to get Percy to go out more, he just didn't like the idea of leaving Percy home alone. He knew how lonely Percy had been in Hogwarts, he didn't want him feeling like that again. The night where he suggested Percy bring his work to the Quidditch-Match after party had even worked very well, for a while, until random strangers tried to take his work off him.  
  
“What if we swapped costumes? You'll get to be the Gladiator with the sword and I'll wear the Toga.”  
  
Percy looked horrified, “Don't be proposterous! You can't parade yourself around a bunch of drunken muggles in a sheet!”  
  
“It's a Toga.” Oliver repeated.  
  
Percy pursed his lips. “Whatever you want to call it, I am not comfortable with either of us wearing this bloody thing.”  
  
Oliver looked at the clock on the wall and glanced wistfully at the fireplace, before turning back to Percy. He really did want to go, he loved Muggle fancy dress parties. The things some of them dresseed up as would give Hagrid nightmares. “If we find another costume, will you be willing to come with me?”  
  
Percy looked like he was considering the idea, which was a good sign.  
  
“Come on, Percy.” Oliver hoped his sweet, pleading, puppy dog eyes still worked on him, “If we're going to go, we'll have go soon.”  
  
“What other kind of costume do you have in mind?”  
  
Oliver took a mental stock of the flat. “Well, there's my quidditch costume.”  
  
“A quidditch costume in front of Muggles, Oliver? Is that really the best idea?”  
  
“They might all be drunk enough to mistake it for a Rugby costume?”  
  
Percy paused in thought again, “Rugby. That friend of the Twins's was in to Rugby.”  
  
Oliver couldn't help but grin. “Lee, yeah! That's how I know about it! What do you say?”  
  
His hopes were dashed as Percy shook his head. “No, I don't think your uniform would fit me.”  
  
Percy was probably right, Oliver thought. When compared to each other, Percy was taller and thinner than he was, and from years of quidditch Oliver was a lot more on the stocky side.  
  
He looked at Percy, hoping he could get some inspiration. It needed to be something quick and simple and something that would help him fit in with the Muggles in fancy dress.  
  
Then it hit him. “The Sheet!”  
  
Percy raised one eyebrow, “I thought you said it was a Toga.”  
  
He waved his arm, “Right now, it's a sheet and tonight, you're going to be a ghost.”  
  
Percy looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. “How am I meant to be a ghost? And what does this blasted sheet have anything to do with it?”  
  
Oliver couldn't help but grin. Oh how he loved Muggles sometimes! “It's a bit on the... lame side of things, I guess. But Muggles, when they dress up as ghosts, wear white sheets over their heads and cut holes out for eyes.”  
  
“You have got to be kidding me.”  
  
Oliver shook his head. “Like I said, it's a bit lame even for Muggles. But we can go and just pretend you're really ironic.”  
  
Percy narrowed his eyes in confusion. Oliver loved that facial expression more than he loved Muggles. “What?”  
  
“Nevermind. Just, go and rearrange that sheet, cut holes out for eyes and be back by the fireplace in three minutes. We have a muggle party to go to!”  
  
Percy sighed, but there was a faint hint of smiling there as he turned around in the doorway. Oliver knew he might just have won this one. Then Percy hesitated again.  
  
“Oliver...”  
  
Oliver nodded, he knew what was coming next this time too. “We can leave any time you want. I promise.”  
  
Percy smiled, which wasn't as rare an occurence as people assumed. “I was actually going to say I might have to magic a couple of sheets together, this one was just big enough for a toga.”


End file.
